The spots by Americans United for Change contrast Gov. Dave Heineman's (R) request for a new $3.3 million state plane with his refusal to pay the state's relatively minor share of the cost to expand Medicaid.

A bipartisan bill to expand Medicaid and cover an additional 54,000 Nebraskans is pending in the legislature, but it is several votes short of the 33 needed to break a procedural hurdle. The 33 votes would also be enough to override a veto if Heineman were to reject the measure.

"Gov. Heineman says he needs a new private plane to do his job," says the ad, which targets reluctant GOP state senators in districts where many constituents would benefit from the expansion. "The price tag? $3.3 million, courtesy of the Nebraska taxpayers. Heineman says Nebraska can afford to fly him around in style –- but then says we can’t afford to expand Medicaid to keep our rural hospitals from going under."

The comparison to the cost of the plane may not be entirely fair, since the legislature shares the blame for the cost of the plane and for holding up the expansion.

But the larger point is true. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation study, Nebraska would have to increase its Medicaid spending by about 1.8 percent over the next decade, spending an extra $25 million or so a year, while the federal government would kick in more than $3 billion. And there would be no additional cost to the state for the first three years.

Groups representing rural hospitals in Nebraska warn that without expanding Medicaid, many hospitals could be in danger of failing. And county lawmakers note that counties (and therefore local taxpayers) are required to pay for the cost of uncovered medical care.

At a hearing last month on the bill to expand Medicaid, Lancaster County Commissioner Deb Schorr said her county pays $2.1 million a year in general medical assistance and $700,000 for community mental health services. Or, a little less than the cost of a plane for the governor.

The ads serve two functions. They're designed to help more people get health insurance, but as red states begin embrace the non-partisan aspects of the Affordable Care Act, they also take some of the sting out of purely partisan attacks on President Barack Obama's signature law.

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 23: U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) speaks to members of the press during a news conference May 23, 2013 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Source: National Federation Of Republican Women

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 12: U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) speaks during a news conference April 12, 2013 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Source: National Federation Of Republican Women

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 24: U.S. Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-TX) speaks at The Elton John AIDS Foundation and UNAIDS breakfast at the Russell Senate Office Building on July 24, 2012 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for The Elton John AIDS Foundation)
Source: National Federation Of Republican Women

Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) speaks during a news conference following the weekly House Republican caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol March 5, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Source: National Federation Of Republican Women

US Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito makes her formal announcement to run for Senate in 2014 during a news conference at the Capitol in Charleston, W.Va., Monday Nov. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/The Charleston Gazette, Chip Ellis)
Source: National Federation Of Republican Women

Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., a member of the House Budget Committee and Ways and Means Committee, center, joins House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, right, and Rep. Susan Brooks, R-Ind., gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013, to demand for President Obama to submit a budget proposal to Congress. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)